OKLAHOMA CITY – Kobe Bryant entered the league as Byron Scott was leaving it. Now it’s Scott who intends to stick around after Bryant leaves.

Despite that deep personal history, Scott is going to carefully pick his time to say goodbye to Bryant. It didn’t happen on the Lakers’ three-game trip, and it probably won’t happen during Wednesday’s finale.

“I think once the season’s over and we’ve got about a week off I’ll give him a text and go down to Orange County and play some golf and then meet him for dinner,” Scott said.

The purpose?

“Just kind of reminisce over the 20 years that we’ve known each other,” Scott said. “Reminisce over the last two years.”

The latter of course, is the period in which Scott has coached Bryant. Scott has compiled a record of 37-126 as he has ushered Bryant into the next phase of his life.

Scott said coaching Bryant, who was a Lakers rookie his final year in the league, has “brought us closer together.”

“The respect has always been there and I think it’s grown ever more so as we’ve gone on these last two years,” Scott said.

Assuming Scott returns to the Lakers bench next season, he said he will occasionally text Bryant.

“Not necessarily so much on if we lose a game or anything like that,” Scott said. “It’s just how you doing? How’s everything going and just (having) those conversations with him.

“The relationship is great. We get along extremely well. We have mutual respect for one another and I’ve admired what this guy has done for 20 years.”

Scott isn’t the only member of Lakers royalty trying to get a final audience with Bryant.

President of Basketball Operations Jim Buss met up with the team in Houston and tagged along to Oklahoma City to spend a little more time with Bryant.

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and NBA for the Southern California News Group. He joined the Orange County Register staff in 2013 after previously covering the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. During most players' and coaches' media sessions, he is the guy in the background wearing a University of Montana Grizzlies cap.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.